As the GOP candidates gear up for Tuesday's primary in Alabama, the home of the nation's toughest immigration law, Mitt Romney remains comparatively quiet on the state's form of "self-deportation" which he promoted aggressively just months prior. Some say his fear of alienating Latino voters in the general election is informing his new silence in the primary.

While Alabama’s primary alone won’t make Romney the nominee, Tuesday could determine if the candidate can “sidestep” a “dominant, singular rival”, as The New York Times reports. In the past week, Romney’s taken to the campaign trail, sticking to the talking points regarding jobs, the economy, and why he’s the man that can beat Obama.

Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State and adviser to Romney on immigration policy, wrote and helped pass Alabama's controversial law HB 56. The law, which aims to drive undocumented immigrants from the state, requires that police officers inquire about the legal status of anyone they suspect of being undocumented during any routine traffic stop. Although Romney had publicly endorsed the law, and called a similar law in Arizona a "model" for the nation, he hasn't stuck his neck out on the issue in Alabama.

"Self-deportation," Romney said, "is when people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here."

Romney faced criticism for the idea of "self-deportation" from Latino leaders and Republican politicians including John McCain, challenger Newt Gingrich, and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and hasn't made headlines with the issue since.

When deciding about his tone on the state's hot issue, the candidate must weigh his need to cinch the party nomination by appealing to the same white conservative base which ushered in Kobach's immigration law against the threat of alienating the integral Latino vote later in the game.

On Monday, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ immigration task force, called for Romney to denounce Alabama’s immigration law before Tuesday’s primary elections - a move Romney is unlikely to make given his history on the issue.

"Not speaking out against Alabama's HB56, perhaps the most egregious [immigration enforcement law] so far, sends a clear signal to Latino voters that the GOP is more interested in pandering to the anti-immigrant wing of the party than in leading a nation in need of serious immigration reform,” Gutierrez said.